10 Reuse Solutions for Plastic Bags

Even the most diligent reusable-tote-carrying greenie eventually gets saddled with a couple of plastic bags—that's how insidious these blights upon the environment are. But we've also seen some brain-rattlingly creative ways some people have been squeezing out a second, third, or fourth use out of their plastic bags, whether it's by fusing them into fabric, crocheting plastic strips into purses, transforming them into fashionable handbags, crafting cushion covers, or melting the material down into jewelry.

Real Simple has a bunch of other, well, really simple ideas the rest of us can get in on, beyond reusing our bags for trash collecting. You can tie them around your legs to use as knee pads when you garden, wrap them around wet paint brushes to keep them from drying out, or stick them in your purse so you have a makeshift rain hat the next time it pours unexpectedly. ::Real Simple

Difficulty level: Easy